There were no stated rules, just loosely-related pictures (all with something missing and all from May's book). Beyond some peripheral conversations on Twitter and Facebook, there was no explanation of where it was leading. It was pure experience, more powerful than if I'd said, "Hey, did you know that missing pieces make things more interesting?"

That's what Matthew May believes. As an opening example in the book, he recalls the ending of The Sopranos. "Instead of receiving a concrete answer to the big question [of whether Tony Soprano would get 'whacked'], viewers sat shocked as, during the final seconds of the show, their television screens went black." And that was it. After a few seconds, the credits rolled.

There is more to the story, and you can read it in May's book. But, as he notes, "the point here is that no straightforward conclusion would have engaged viewers with the same intensity and debate."

So, is it worth it to make sure your ideas have something missing? I'll talk about that more in upcoming posts. But for now, I'm going missing until next week. :)

Saturday, September 24, 2011

On, In, and Around Mondays: Guessed

On Friday I asked people to take a guess. I absolutely *loved* the ideas that were generated. And I promise it is all going somewhere (simple revelation coming soon. :)

During the guessing game, I spent some time in peripheral conversations with people. "Did you look at both sites before making your guess?" I asked them.

Some said yes, some no.

It's not like there were any instructions that said it was absolutely necessary to take mulitiple perspectives into account. And the links between sites were very small. They just said, Here or "today's other clue." So it's perfectly okay that some people made their guesses from a single perspective.

As it turns out, this particular result of our guessing game provides a very nice illustration for this week's High Calling introduction to Mindfulness, by Ellen Langer.

Acting from a single perspective is one of the reasons Langer says we sometimes miss making the meaning we need to make.

Of course, in our guessing game, I stacked the deck a little, giving out a narrow perspective to begin with and only increasing it over time. (Also, it's no easy riddle, so everyone who participated should be pleased with their guesses (I was completely tickled! :)

In the end, somebody who took in multiple perspectives did finally, guess what... guess.

________

Coming soon: a revelation of the simple reason we played our guessing game. In the meantime, care to join us for a bookclub discussion of Mindfulness, by Ellen Langer?

________

On, In and Around Mondays (which partly means you can post any day and still add a link) is an invitation to write from where you are. Tell us what is on, in, around (over, under, near, by...) you. Feel free to write any which way... compose a tight poem or just ramble for a few paragraphs. But we should feel a sense of place. Would you like to try? Write something 'in place' and add your link below.

If you could kindly link back here when you post, it will create a central meeting place. :)

Guess Again

Friday, September 23, 2011

Guess

Monday, September 19, 2011

On, In, and Around Mondays: Marketing to Your Sister

I am remembering an afternoon when my Littlest wanted her sister's attention.

She chit chatted, poked, whirled. Nothing worked.

So she stole away and found a Shel Silverstein poetry book. Then, she looked up an excerpt of Sherlock Holmes on the Internet and translated it into Italian (goodness only knows why! :) Then she printed the translation and carefully trimmed it, so the size would fit nicely into Mr. Silverstein's pages.

"Look," she held the book under Sara's nose.

Now this was something that warranted a glance. A book!

Sara opened Shel, and Sonia helped her flip to the Italian Sherlock Holmes tucked within.

"That is so cool," Sara said, when she realized what Sonia had done. After all, Sara loves Holmes, even, I guess, if he's speaking Italian.

I sat on my bed and chuckled. Now that, I thought, is how you market to your sister.

____

Do you have an amusing event, or some simple thoughts on laughter? It needn't be laugh-out-loud funny. We would be happy to have you share a chuckle. Check out our Laughter Writing Project, at The High Calling.________

On, In and Around Mondays (which partly means you can post any day and still add a link) is an invitation to write from where you are. Tell us what is on, in, around (over, under, near, by...) you. Feel free to write any which way... compose a tight poem or just ramble for a few paragraphs. But we should feel a sense of place. Would you like to try? Write something 'in place' and add your link below.

If you could kindly link back here when you post, it will create a central meeting place. :)

Friday, September 16, 2011

Rumors of Buttons, If You Like

Some of you asked me for a button. Here it is, if you'd still like to have it for your blog sidebar or a blog post series or whatever else you might have been thinking of doing with it (maybe if you are Nancy Franson or Duane Scott you might even want it for a post on laughter. ;-)

Thanks for your encouragements, by the way. I have greatly appreciated them.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

What's Your Spiritual Practice?

Over the next month or so, for a special project, I'm making my way through a few books on spiritual practice. If you want to join the exploration, I'll be going through each book from cover to cover at my Love Notes to Yahweh blog.

The world seems full of books on spiritual practice these days, so it should be interesting to see if any of the ones above have something unique to offer. And, of course, along the way I'd love to have you share about your own spiritual practices—how they seem to either parallel or not parallel the ideas set forth in the books.

What's your spiritual practice? If you don't actually have any or you'd like to share some established ways, come along.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

On, In, and Around Mondays: What's Your Geography?

I think of this today, as Sara sits at the dining room table, reading her new history book. Before reading, she looks at the pictures. That's my girl. Pictures are part of her personal geography. She's been looking closely at art since she was a little girl. She thinks in pictures, can explain the world in images. Maps are a favorite. So are diagrams.

Yesterday we went to Linsay's farm. I brought the new book along to show her, since her teapot tree and strawberries and duck eggs are part of the story I wove together. She turned the book over to get a closer look at Sonia's designs. "They look like henna!" she exclaimed. I hadn't thought of it that way, but of course they do. Sonia has seen henna designs on the hands of the women at many a family wedding. These are part of her family geography.

Today I sit outdoors to type. My yard is wild, the grass going to seed. Honeysuckle, jewelweed, and purple clover are full with bees gathering nectar. This yard has a geography that is, for the most part, characteristic of a Northeastern yard; its plants are regional, but its wildness owes a little to my own childhood geography: I traversed fields for hours on end, feeling the freedom of bent grasses and blue skies.

You have a geography too. Personal, familial, regional. Are you letting it design your words?

________

On, In and Around Mondays (which partly means you can post any day and still add a link) is an invitation to write from where you are. Tell us what is on, in, around (over, under, near, by...) you. Feel free to write any which way... compose a tight poem or just ramble for a few paragraphs. But we should feel a sense of place. Would you like to try? Write something 'in place' and add your link below.

If you could kindly link back here when you post, it will create a central meeting place. :)

Monday, September 05, 2011

On, In, and Around Mondays: Is Your Mind Full?

What does it mean to be Mindful? (My mind is always full, it seems. Does this count? :)

Maybe it is the ability to dream beyond what seems possible....

Or maybe it is a willingness to take in new information, to change even a lifetime of habits when we see the potential benefits...

Perhaps it is the openness to change one's posture—mentally, physically, or spiritually...

I'm excited about the potential answers to the question, "What is Mindfulness?" I'm pleased that The High Calling is going to explore this topic through Ellen J. Langer's book Mindfulness. Join us? :)

Alien Sculpture and photos by Sonia, 12. :) Used with permission.

________

On, In and Around Mondays (which partly means you can post any day and still add a link) is an invitation to write from where you are. Tell us what is on, in, around (over, under, near, by...) you. Feel free to write any which way... compose a tight poem or just ramble for a few paragraphs. But we should feel a sense of place. Would you like to try? Write something 'in place' and add your link below.

If you could kindly link back here when you post, it will create a central meeting place. :)